Seth Sprague (1760-1847)
}} Biography * Memoirs of Seth Sprague His father died when Seth was age 15 and he had to take over all duties of the family farm. At age 17 (1777) he enlisted in the Continental Army, returning home at the expiration of his term and engaging in shore fishing. Source Memoirs of Seth Sprague - page 4 Revolutionary War It is recorded by Seth Sprague (1760-1847) in his memoirs that the town was fierce Whig and only two Tory's were found in the whole town, Gamaliel Bradford (1704-1778) (father of the Revolutionary War leader of same name) and Brig Alden, father of Major Judah Alden, and that they both recanted their Tory allegiance after the Lexington Battles. * Memoirs of Seth Sprague - page 162 Francis Sprague House The house of early English immigrant Francis Sprague was one of the first buildings here in Duxbury and was handed down in turn be his descendants, eventually ending with Seth Sprague (1760-1847) in the early 19th Century. This house stood on what is commonly called "Sprague's Neck", a little south of the stage office. (Did this house pass down thru his mother's line then???) * Memoirs of Seth Sprague - page 166 Commercial Era The most remarkable period in Duxbury’s history, the shipbuilding era, began immediately after the Revolution. Following the Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris, the newborn nation was granted fishing rights on the Grand Banks. Several families took advantage of the new opportunity and began to build large fishing schooners. Notable individuals doing this include Ezra Weston (1743-1822), Samuel Delano, Nathaniel Winsor, Joshua Winsor and Seth Sprague (1760-1847). Reaping great rewards from this business, they all went into shipbuilding to create bigger fishing fleets and other trading.Memoirs of Seth Sprague - pg 172 These men strongly advocated for the building of a commercial road from Powder Point to the Bayfront and the establishment of the Duxbury Old Shipbuilder's Historic District which became their center of their shipping business.Memoirs of Seth Sprague - pg 172 Soon, the schooners built in the 1790s gave way to larger brigs and eventually three-masted ships. As several merchant families began to amass large fleets, shipyards and other ancillary industries flourished and Duxbury prospered. By the 1840s, Duxbury boasted about 20 shipyards and produced an average of ten large sailing vessels per year. State Legislature Seth Sprague as elected and served for twenty-seven years in the Massachusetts State Legislature, House and Senate, and worked faithfully and very ably for the interest and benefit of his town and county, as well also for the welfare of the Commonwealth. He was twice honored by being chosen a member of the electoral college, which decides the choice of President and Vice-President of the United States. * Source: Memoirs of Seth Sprague - pg 6 Marriage and Family # Phineas Sprague (1779-1853) - master mariner and later merchant in Boston # William Sprague (1780-1840) - Boston merchant # Deborah Sprague (1782-1813) # Wealthea Sprague (1784-1855) # Ruth Sprague (1785-1836) # Seth Sprague (1787-) # Mercy Sprague (1789-) # Jeruiah Sprague (1791-1829) # Peleg Sprague (1793-1880) # Hannah Sprague (1793-1872) # Caroline Sprague (1795-1887) # Judith Sprague (1799-1845) - md Gershom Bradford Weston (1799-1869), son of the famous shipbuilder Ezra Weston (1772-1842), aka: King Caesar II. # Nancy Sprague (1801-1847) # Lucy Sprague (1803-1841) # Sarah Sprague (1805-) Vital Records Mayflower Gravestone Gravestone Location: - Mayflower Cemetery, Duxbury MA. Gravestone references 1 son and 11 daughters References * Memoirs of Seth Sprague * MainTour Duxbury * #54926059